[sajith]

Greetings!

I've been lurking here in Pentax Forums for a while now. Since I waste productively spend far too much time elsewhere in the interwebs, I never introduced myself, so here we go: the photography bug bit me a good twelve years back, and life has never been the same since -- it's caused me to visit places I otherwise would not have visited, and hang out with people I otherwise would not have hung out with. Going through the collection of my pictures, I am glad that the damn bug bit me. :-) (My pictures are in flickr.)

These days I am in a sort of predicament, and I suppose I should seek friendly words, advice, etc from fellow photographer folks.

Here's my predicament: I got my Pentax K200D back in 2009, and I had no intention of upgrading in the near future. It is an eight-year old camera, so what? It has been working quite well for me! (I also have a couple of Pentax ME Supers, an ME F, and a bunch of manual focus lenses, in addition to another bunch of old timey stuff, just to give you an idea about the sort of woods I live in.)

But then last year, I dropped the good old K200D in a parking lot's hard ground, and now the autofocus is kind of wonky, so I guess that is a good enough excuse to get a new Pentax DSLR. I would like better low-light performance that the newer sensors offer, for one. I also tend to go on random hikes, visit oddball places, and I absolutely want a record of those places, so I guess an in-built GPS would be a very good thing to have. I don't think I am ready for the K-1. I don't think I care for the KP. I've been eyeing the K-3 II, but damn, it was released in April 2015? Isn't an upgrade already due?

I've seen a couple of speculative threads around here regarding the K3 II's successor, some even reporting that K3 II has been discontinued. I know that product development tends to be unpredictable and therefore unpromiseable... but I don't know if I should wait a few more months, or what. Going by the aforementioned threads, I am pretty sure that many of you share my predicament.

So... group hug? :-)

Regards,
Sajith.

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Last edited by sajith; 07-14-2017 at 05:41 AM.

[jatrax]

Get a K-3II. Yes there will be a new camera, possibly this fall or next spring. So what? The K-3II will already be a huge upgrade over what you are using now. And buying a solid, well proven K-3II at a very good discount to the release price of a possible new camera only makes sense to me. I have the K-1 but I also kept my K-3II and intend to for some time.

And welcome, by the way.

[Adam]

The K-3 dates all the way back to November 2013, so yes, the minor refresh that was the K-3 II is certainly due for an upgrade. I think it's a safe bet to expect it within the next half year or so.

That said the K-3 II is already a massive upgrade over the K200D, and even compared to other, more recent models. Plus, whatever replaces it will likely cost more than double the price, so I'd factor that in.

The KP does deliver better image quality than the K-3 II in low light and in JPEG mode in general, so I'd expect the K-3 II's successor to follow in its footsteps.

[Unregistered User 8]

Hi from Australia Sajith, and welcome to the Pentax forums. Good advice already given, so hello and good to have you here.

[boriscleto]

I bought a K-5 in the spring of 2012, the K-5 II was introduced in the fall. I never regretted it as it was a big upgrade over the K-x. The next flagship APS-C will have to be a very big upgrade over the K-3 for me to consider it before it's been out for at least a year...

[victormeldrew]

There have been lots of new bodies that have passed you by since the K200D, which you didn't seem to dent your love of your current body and I'm sure you will love the K3II just as much for just as long. Judging by the pricing of the new midrange bodies, any replacement may well be considerably more expensive too.

However, the one good reason to wait might be the possibility of cut-price clearances on the K3...I thought that might happen with the K-50 though and I was wrong. Seems the price of the K-70 kept the demand high for the old body.

[Kerrowdown]

Welcome to the forum, enjoy that new camera... whichever one you end up getting.

[aslyfox]

welcome

some suggestions:

if you haven't gone up to "Cameras" and review the material available there, I recommend you do so

as an example here is a link to a comparison between the K 3 II, the K 3 and your camera

Pentax K-3 II vs. Pentax K-3 vs. Pentax K200D - Pentax Camera Comparison - PentaxForums.com

consider renting a camera [ I have used LensRental.com ] before buying so you can do your own trials

consider any costs differences between the K 3 II and the K 3 when you add the GPS unit 0-GPS 1 to the K 3

Pentax O-GPS1 reviews - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database

good luck and have fun

[sajith]

You are all very kind. Thank you so much, everyone!

My thought process is (was...) like this: I need a Pentax DSLR that I will be using for another eight or more years. If that means waiting a little while more for the newer camera, and spending a little extra, it should be OK. The K-1 is very appealing, except that I don't really need a full-frame camera for my very amateurish pursuits, and I can totally do with a lighter setup. (I wish they would incorporate K-1's tiltable LCD screen and PK's improved ISO range in K3-II's successor though...) But you are right, it makes sense to get a K3-II now rather than something else later.

I also need a better "standard" lens. Between the Pentax DA* 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL, and the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art lens, what would you recommend?

[aslyfox]

does your budget allow you to reach for the HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR new or used???

HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

here is a thread featuring that lens

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/301618-da-...at-can-do.html

check the market place here

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/

there appears to be one for sale with a K 3 II currently

[sajith]

Aslyfox: yes, my budget allows for that. I prefer one of those faster lenses though (they're also more expensive, so there's that...). Before focusing started acting up on my K200D, I used an FA 35mm f/2.0 lens pretty much all the time. :-)

Thanks for the heads up on the sale. If it is this one, it seems to have ended...

[aslyfox]

This one is what I saw

k3ii, 16-85 hd da wr and battery grip + samyang 10mm f2.8, 16mm f2, 35 f.14 - PentaxForums.com

[savoche]

The K-1 is very appealing, except that I don't really need a full-frame camera for my very amateurish pursuits, and I can totally do with a lighter setup. (I wish they would incorporate K-1's tiltable LCD screen and PK's improved ISO range in K3-II's successor though...)

Very much my thoughts as well, both on sensor size and the feature wish list for the K-3 successor. Now, I might end up with a K-1 anyway, we'll see...

I also need a better "standard" lens. Between the Pentax DA* 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL, and the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art lens, what would you recommend?

Don't have any of these, but be aware that the Sigma is huge!

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

[sajith]

I took your wisdom to heart. Thank you so much for the great advice, everyone!



I think I am in love.

(I also got used a Pentax DA* 16-50 f/2.8. I quite like this combination.)